Dancing with the Devil
by DarkLily99
Summary: Autumn Reynolds was looking for a home. A place that she could call her own. A chance encounter with Thomas Shelby changes her life forever. How will the little barmaid from a farm handle the Peaky Blinders and their fierce leader, Thomas Shelby? Tommy/OC
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Hello there darlings. I have been obsessed with this show for awhile now and this idea has been playing in my head for a long time. So I hope you all enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Peaky Blinders or any of the characters sadly.**

Her passion had always been horses. Growing up on a small farm, surrounded by them, had cemented her love for them. And so as she stood on the corner of some unknown dirt road in Birmingham, her eyes were immediately drawn to the marvelous wide steed tied to a post outside of a beaten down building with the title The Garrison upon it. She rather liked the name. For the life of her, she could not fathom why such a horse was left there unattended.

Approaching the horse slowly, her skirts drifting softly along the dirt, Autumn Reynolds failed to notice the pointed looks in her direction. Unlike those around her, Autumn did not know the owner of this steed. She lifted both of her hands up and ran them up both sides of his muzzle. The beauty leaned into her and placed his head further into her embrace, moving further into her arms. She hummed to him and placed her forehead just above his nose. Before she had walked up, the horse had been restless, constantly shifting his feet. Now he was practically boneless in her arms as she hummed an old lullaby from her youth her family had always used to calm their horses down. She reached up and scratched behind his ears as she pulled away. He nudged his head against hers as she pulled away, causing her to let out a small laugh at his playful behavior. Horses were loving creatures if treated right. Pulling back completely from the steed that had quickly taken up all of her attention, she reached down to her feet and grabbed her small bag of belongings that she had dropped in favor of paying attention to the horse. With the luggage in one hand, Autumn reached up with her other hand and rubbed her new friend's muzzle one last time, murmuring a quiet, "Goodbye friend."

Turning away from the horse, Autumn looked up from her feet and was nearly floored by the sight of ice blue eyes staring intently into her own. The stare was deep and held her underneath the power of its gaze. Her breath caught in her chest as she caught sight of the owner of that powerful gaze. Dark hair shorn along the sides, chiseled jaw and cheekbones, and an air of authority surrounding him. Autumn had a sinking feeling that this was the owner of the horse that she had just previously given unnecessary attention to.

Her mouth flew open and she breathed out in a rush, "I apologize for the horse, sir. He was just acting a bit restless and I could not help myself with such a beauty."

Still the man said nothing to her. He just continued to stare at her as though he was measuring her or trying to figure if her intentions were anything aside from pure. After finding whatever he was looking for within her gaze, the man's mouth pulled up into a smirk and he asked in a voice that nearly had her melting, "Are you new in town?"

Her skin flushed, Autumn nodded slowly and quipped back, "Is it that obvious?"

The smirk became a full one upon those pink lips as he replied, "Not many people from here would have touched something that belonged to me."

Autumn bit her lip and looked down toward the ground in embarrassment.

"I apologize for bothering your horse, sir. He is a lovely steed and I promise that I meant him no harm nor did I intend to be a bother to you."

His gaze intense once again as he listened to her reflected his amusement and curiosity. His voice compelling as he asked, "What is your name?"

"Autumn. Autumn Reynolds."

His lips once again curled at the edges as he approached her with confident steps, his pace slow but never faltering. Now he stood just before her, his figure towering over her smaller frame, the heat radiating off of him making her dizzy. She leaned her head back to look at him fully and retaliated with, "I find it only fair if you share your name with me."

His eyes swept her figure, clothed in a simple white blouse with pearl buttons and a fitted black skirt, her feet encased in black leather boots. Her coat laid over her arm, the black standing out against the white of her blouse. Autumn remained her ground and locked eyes with him, grey meeting blue in a clash that would be talked about for years to come. It was in that moment that Autumn and this mysterious stranger shared a thought.

 _Things are going to be different from now on._

The stranger leaned down, eyes still locked with hers and his voice filled her ears with one simple response.

"The name is Thomas Shelby. And I can promise that you will be seeing me again, darling."

And with that, she was gone in a flurry of black and white silk.

Tommy watched her stride away from him, the ever present smirk visible on his lips. Looking behind him, he told John, "Get eyes on her. Find out everything about Autumn Reynolds."

With that said, Tommy swung his leg over his horse and took off down the unpaved streets, his eyes roaming over the crowd, hoping for just one last glimpse of her.

Tommy always liked to be in control. To have the upper hand. But that slip of a girl. No. That slip of a woman had him nearly buckling. Her hair was dark like a raven's wing, her skin a faint tan from the afternoon sun, and those eyes of hers. Those eyes held him spellbound. Pools of silver that held him entranced. Lips as red as a ruby and just waiting for his bite. Tommy rarely fooled with the notion of one woman. But if that woman was half of what she appeared to be, Tommy knew one thing for sure. He had to have her.

Autumn Reynolds had put herself in a terrible position and she was not even aware of it. She had put herself right into the Devil's path, unaware of the destruction that he would wreak upon her. She was everything he should never want. She was everything that he didn't deserve to have.

But when did Tommy ever follow the rules. Her fate was decided. Her future now intertwined with his.

She was new to Birmingham which meant that she most likely did not have a place to live yet nor a job. Tommy tightened his hands upon the reigns and thought of all the possibilities. He had to keep her underneath his watch. She would not slip from his fingers and fall into the hands of someone unworthy of her.

She already belonged to him. The Devil just had to wait to claim his prize. The Peaky Blinders would have a Queen soon.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own** _ **Peaky Blinders**_ **or any of the characters besides my OC.**

The streets of Birmingham were very different than what Autumn Reynolds was used to growing up. Seas of people swarmed around her with every step. She was unsure of her next move. Her father had not wanted her to drift too far from home, preferring to keep her close until he could marry her off. Autumn did not want that to be her future, married to a man because of a dowry. She wanted to marry a man of her own free will. A man of her choosing. Her mother understood her reasoning greatly because she was once in the same position. However, her mother was unable to escape her fate.

Two nights ago, she decided to run. Her father was in a drunken rage, spewing venom at her mother for the disgrace of a child that she had brought into this world. Her bag had already been packed and a small sum of money was nestled in her bosom for safe keeping. Without much thought, she fled her home with her small case and a fast beating heart. One train ticket later, she was walking the streets of Birmingham. The meeting with one Thomas Shelby had knocked her for a loop. She could not unsee his face nor unhear that wonderful voice of his. He had been imprinted upon her very mind. There was danger lurking underneath his piercing stare, deadly intentions behind his smirk. Yet, Autumn felt no fear toward him. She did not understand it. But she had no time to be focusing on a passing fancy. She had to find a place of work so she could provide a home and a life for herself.

Time flew by as she walked. Minutes turned into hours and soon the sun was near close to setting and Autumn had yet to find a job. Without realizing it, she had circled back to The Garrison. There was not a noble steed awaiting her this time nor a smirking Shelby. The lights were dim in the pub and Autumn could not hear nor make out any movements inside. Clutching her small bag closer to her chest, she opened the wooden door and stepped inside.

Silence met her. The pub was empty minus a man behind the bar cleaning glasses. The floor was covered in rubbish and the chairs pushed all over the place. Tables were overturned and all over the place. By the look on the man's face, this was a nightly occurrence. He had yet to notice her yet and so with a small smile on her face, Autumn took a seat at the bar on a stool right in front of the man.

He finally looked up and saw her sitting before him. The corners of his lips turned up and his eyes were full of warmth as he asked, "What can I do for a lovely young lady like you?"

Her voice was steel as she replied, "I would like a job at your establishment, sir."

His eyes widened comically as thought he could not believe his words. Autumn understood this. Not many self-respecting women would work within a pub unless they were the type to sell themselves for a night.

"Before you say anything, let me introduce myself. My name is Autumn Reynolds. I grew up on a farm as an only child. I am used to hard labor and can handle myself well. I am new to Birmingham and I am in need of a job. I have been looking all afternoon but I have found nothing."

She had to take a little breath after finishing. The older man looked pleased with her and he had a contemplating look on his face as he thought out his next sentence. Putting down his cleaning rag and the glass he had been scrubbing, he reached across the bar and announced, "Welcome to The Garrison. My name is Harry."

A bright smile lit up her face as she clasped his hand with her own.

"Nice to meet you, Harry. I promise you won't regret this."

Harry White, as she later learned his last name, was a good man. After she helped him cleanup for the night, he offered her a room upstairs until she finds a better place to stay. It wasn't a beautiful little flat but in time she could make it a home. It had all of the necessary equipment and the wallpaper was faded but it was hers for the time being. She slept in a bed that was only hers the night before.

And she awoke the next day with a wide smile on her face. Her attire for her first day of work was simple. A dark navy blue gown that flowed behind her as she walked and a small pair of black flats adorned her feet. Her hair was down but the top half was pinned so it would stay out her face.

She greeted Harry as he opened the doors early that morning. It was going on late in the afternoon now and Autumn was enjoying herself. She had always enjoyed working. She was not one to sit around and do nothing. Her head was down as she filled a pint for the older gentleman at the bar. Autumn distantly heard the front doors open but she was too busy trying to not make a mess to take a look. The older gentleman smiled at her as she handed him his pint with a kind smile on her own face. She started to hum as she wiped down the bar as she waited for another customer. Autumn was so focused on her task that she failed to notice the shadow falling over her until a voice drawled out, "If I didn't know any better, darling, I would say that you were following me."

That voice. _His voice._ Autumn knew the owner to that husky drawl without raising her metal eyes.

Thomas Shelby.

He was obviously a man of his word. After all he did say that he would see her again. But Autumn did not believe that it would have been this soon. A small smile curled her lips as she looked up at him from underneath her lashes. Her breath drew short at the sight. He was marvelous. Breath taking even. A man like him would see nothing in a farm girl like her. Pushing thoughts like that aside, her remark was, "Maybe it's just luck, Mr. Shelby."

His lips curled and with a devilish glint in his ice blue eyes, he leaned toward her and rasped, "Tommy. Call me Tommy."

Her teeth dug into the ruby red skin of her bottom lip, her eyes not noticing his own locked on her movement. Her eyes lit with fire as she placed both her hands upon the bar, her upper body leaning toward his. The pub had gone silent, all eyes were on the interaction between the new bar girl and the infamous Shelby brother. Autumn paid them no mind. All of her attention was on the man in front of her. Locking her eyes with his in a challenging stare, she licked her lips and whispered, "Tommy."

A flip switched within his gaze. The ice melting and the look becoming smoldering. Autumn felt scalded underneath his stare. She saw the tick of his jaw as he stared her down. Refusing to back down, she met his stare straight on.

"You're playing with fire, darling."

His voice was a rasp. Not a smoot flow of words but that voice. That voice was a melody to her ears. It sang to her, enchanted her toward the masked devil sitting before her.

"Maybe I want to get burned."

Silence filled the space between them. The rowdy crowd occupying the pub was forgotten as their eyes locked once more. All that mattered was the two of them and the heat that was growing like a wildfire between the two of them. Tommy was the first to break away surprisingly. His eyes zeroed in on Harry who was on the other side of the bar tending to customers while they were locked in their stare down. His voice was quiet yet commanding as he announced, "Autumn will be coming with me, Harry."

Harry spared her a slightly worried glance, his gaze sorry yet Autumn knew he was unable to do anything. Without anyone telling her so, she was able to piece together that Tommy was a man of power in Birmingham. People feared him. She was hesitant and eager to know the answer behind the mystery.

Tommy obviously did not expect an answer from the quiet man. He stood from his bar stool and fixed his coat as he stared at her once again, those piercing blue eyes looking deep into her own. Autumn knew what he expected of her. Without a verbal word spoken between the two of them, Autumn walked around the bar and approached him on the other side. Even with almost a foot between them, she could feel the heat emanating off of him. Not once breaking away from his gaze, she looped her arm through his and drew closer to his warmth.

Tommy looked down on her with a soft smirk. Picking up his discarded hat from the bar, he began to lead her to the front doors of the pub. Tommy pushed open the door and allowed her to go first.

A true gentleman.

Harry's voice rang out from behind them, "Don't forget to bring her back."

Even with her back turned, Autumn could feel _his_ eyes on her. His hand was on her lower back, the sensations driving her insane. She was so caught up in the feeling of _him_ that she almost failed to hear his reply.

"I think I might keep her."

 **AN: Hello lovelies. Glad to see you have joined me for chapter 2. Sorry that it's been a little bit but I have been very preoccupied. Thank you all so much for the amazing reviews and the support that this story has gotten from just one chapter. All the love - Sierra**


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